--Original published at Rickster's Psychology Blog

I went to private school since preschool so maybe I could a different opinion on interactions with educators. The classes were always small so the teacher always knew your name. I never had a elementary school or middle class with over 20 students.

I always noticed the teachers who were always best in terms of having a well behaved class and a decent learning experience were always the ones who knew they had to earn your respect and showed empathy. The teachers who were down to earth and didn’t act like dictators always had the best results. They didn’t have a ton of homework or busy work just to show their superior they had a ton of stuff in their lesson plan.

These teachers had tests which seemed easier. I feel like they would take the pressure off you for tests because they had you prepared for tests. When the pressure is off, I feel like the material is easier to learn because you either want to learn it or its just easy to pick up the concepts because the teacher took into account for more learning styles. When they used powerpoint and had entertaining videos, it was always easier to learn.

My best way of learning is when I can do activities with my hands. I like being able to take something apart and put it back together to see how everything works. I think I learn best this way because every male on my father’s side was the same way. We are all mechanics.

Visual learning was my second best way of learning so videos always helped me best. I could sit through six months of lectures and not learn anything but I could watch a History Channel or Discovery Channel marathon on a subject and be an expert in it.

The worst teachers were the ones who acted like your boss. They always seemed structured and always taught one way. They were usually older and didn’t care. They just needed to show up so they get their pension. The worst teacher I ever had was probably taking algebra with my principle as the teacher. She did whatever she wanted because she was untouchable. She always had a lot of homework and it seemed so overwhelming to the point where I wouldn’t want to do it because it was more than enough work.

--Original published at Noah'sPSY105blog

Although Governor Miller may have had some very good intentions with the introduction of the program to supply parents of newborn children with CD’s or cassette tapes housing classical music, I do not believe that this was a very good decision on his part.

There may have been some evidence to support the Mozart effect at the time, but I do not believe that there was enough evidence given for Governor Miller to spend some of his budget on a theory that did not have a very large amount of evidence supporting it. Not only was this an issue, but even if there was fairly significant evidence supporting this theory, it did not mean that the parents would utilize the tapes or CD’s that they were sent. Therefor, may of the tapes and CD’s would go unused and the money spent on this project would most likely be more effective if it were spent elsewhere.

--Original published at Courtney's College Blog

Throughout my education experience, I have had both positive and negative experiences with educators. My high school biology teacher sticks out to me. She is an amazing teacher and does everything she can to support her students, whether it be academically or emotionally. She would always tell me how much she believed in me and thought that I would make a great physician. This encouraged me to study hard to obtain a high grade in the class. Her positive energy made me look forward to going to class each day. I was enthusiastic about biology, and was really eager to succeed. My teacher’s enthusiasm and my hard work allowed me to earn a high A in the class.

That same year, I also had a teacher who was constantly miserable. She belittled all of her students and fostered a negative environment. I never felt that I was good enough. I had her class during a time when my anxiety was at a high point, and I had a couple anxiety attacks in her class. Even while discussing my anxiety with her, she was very insensitive about it, which made me feel ashamed. Her negative energy made it hard to focus, because I was constantly worried that she would call on me, then embarrass me if I got the wrong answer. My mind was always hyperactive and anxious during class, which led me to obtain a grade lower than what I had hoped.

My experiences have shaped my opinion about what education should be like. Educators should develop relationships with their students, because everyone learns differently. The educator can understand the student’s goals, strengths, and weaknesses. This individualized approach lets the educator be like a mentor to students, not just someone who throws information at them. Educators should be passionate about their work. If a person is not caring, enthusiastic, and have a strong inclination to share the beauty of a certain subject, then that person should not be an educator. Students spend much time with their teachers/professors, so they should feel comfortable and cared for, but also pushed to succeed.

--Original published at Sherika's Psych Blog

In 1998, the Georgia Governor, Zell Miller, spent thousands of dollars of the states budget in order to purchase several hundred copies of classical music CDs to distribute to parents as he believed in the Mozart effect. Or the effect that classical music could be influential in increasing the intelligence of a young child or infant’s developmental stages.

I don’t agree with Governor Miller’s approach here, especially to spend such a significant amount of the state budget to purchase classical music CDs when such money could have been redistributed to an area of more significant need. Not too mention that there’s been plenty of research that’s been conducted on the Mozart theory to prove that there’s no negative or positive correlation between listening to classical music and intelligence. Instead, I felt that Miller was wasting taxpayer money on a theory that has been discredited with proof time and time again. Instead of trying to fund this theory, Miller should have put the funding towards improving Georgia’s school systems, curriculum, or provide these schools with more funding.

--Original published at JVershinski's Blog

Governor Miller made quite a bold statement with his idea of the Mozart effect and distributing a cassette or CD of classical music to the parents of each new born child. I personally do not believe in the Mozart effect, and think that this was a foolish idea to do this.

First, this idea that listening to Mozart will increase intelligence is only a theory. This just means it is an educated guess that is used to attempt to explain something. While it would be interesting to explore this theory some more and actually test it, I don’t think that a personal belief of this theory justifies spending $105,000 to do it. Additionally, the money spent was spent based on the idea that he theory holds true. If the money was spent to experiment if the theory was true or not, I think then it could be justified some more, but the fact that the governor just spent the money because he thought it would work is not a good decision.

Also, who is to say that the parents will even play the music in the household to even try to increase the intelligence of their child? There is no reinforcement to ensure that the music will be played. In addition, how long is the music to be played for? Is there a certain amount of time that states the music should be played for x minutes during a certain time of the day? Is it better to play the music while the child is asleep or awake? Up to what age should the music be played? Does the theory explain why it only contributes to the intelligence of young children? With all of these questions unanswered, I think spending $105,000 to give out free Mozart was not the best idea.